I Promise: Crystal's Tale
by Silver Wolf 551
Summary: It was a promise we made, and it was shattered. But I reached and reached, because I knew no one else would for him. And because I made another promise I intended to keep, whether he liked it or not. Bakura X OC
1. Chapter 1: Painful Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Happy? But Luna and Crystal are mine!**

**Inspiration: Well, Crystal needed a backstory. Some songs inspired it too.**

**AN: Well, I've had this idea for a while so I figured 'why not just post it up?' So here it is! Read the notes before though.**

**Notes: This story is a prologue for Crystal, my Yami. Okay, I'm done. XD**

Summary: It was a promise we made, and it was shattered. But I reached and reached, because I knew no one else would for him. And because I made another promise I intended to keep, whether he liked it or not. Bakura X OC

I Promise: Crystal's Tale

Chapter One: Painful Beginnings

_Getting lost in a desert: not fun. Getting kicked of your house before getting lost in said desert: Horrible luck. Getting attacked by bandits the instant you get kicked out of your house and get wounded and then get lost in said desert: Man, that's messed up. But, you know, for some reason I'm glad it happened that way. Otherwise and I wouldn't have met him. And I would have absolutely nothing to live for. Absolutely nothing, since my soul only remains to fulfill my promise._

The lone, petite figure coughed violently and spat out some blood. Her small little frame was aching with the slash in her side. Blood dribbled down the side of her pastel pink lips. Her cheeks were red against her tan skin from being in the intense, blistering heat of the Sahara, created by Set's breath. Her long brown honey-toned hair did not make the heat easier to bear either. She hobbled on, midnight blue eyes determined to keep moving toward the horizon. But determination does not destroy pain.

"How… much… longer!" She cried in her suffering. But no one was around for miles and nobody would care if a seven-year-old girl were dying out in the desert. Mirages plagued her. Her mother was sobbing, her father praying to the gods to return her safely. That was all a lie, and she paid them little heed. They were the ones who cast her to fend on her own. And bandits in the alleyway she was abandoned in attacked her right after.

But her brute determination not to die alone forced her forward. She grabbed a glass shard in the heated sand. And despite that she could do little damage and was severely out numbered, she fought and surprisingly, managed to disable them and made time to flee with haste. But she did not make it out unscathed. They left a colossal slash through her side that bled something awful, and most likely they gave her internal bleeding as well. She tied a piece of her plain dress around it, and it stopped bleeding. Her dress was not very stained, but her skin was littered with maroon and violet bruises and the area around the gash was tainted crimson from the scuffle.

In any case, her life was never perfect, and she had always had rotten luck. When she was still learning to crawl, a cobra bit her and she became ill with a fever. But she survived. One year afterward, she tumbled into the Nile and almost was gored by hippo beasts and almost eaten by crocodiles on the way out. But she still lived. And now she was injured and disowned. But she wasn't planning on dying at such a young age. But she always worried that Ra would simply strike her down with lightning and end her.

More blood escaped from her mouth and mixed with sweat below her bottom lip, and down her small neck. She was panting, and knew her chances were slim no matter how hard she tried. The desert and its orange tones whirled around her.

She continued her brutal journey. And another mirage formed. But this was not a person she knew. A girl, perhaps her age, with dark brown hair in pigtails and strange sky blue eyes that twinkled with innocence was smiling. This girl did not know pain. She clutched a dog with onyx fur and an oddly toned white one. They were licking her face and she giggled.

As she held her side, she scowled and with such rage that she threw her hand through the image, slicing it in half and making it disperse into nothing. Her side ached with the sudden movement but she was glad to see it vanish and knew it would fade to nothing in her thoughts as well. It meant nothing, after all. Right?

She continued her horrible exodus, and a young jackal joined her. It was a female, with dark fur and bright amber eyes.

"Don't you have a family?" She asked coldly, navy eyes disguising her true feelings toward the jackal. The jackal only looked at this girl with its large brown eyes and got closer to her legs. She could only smile. "You're just like me, lonely and scared. I suppose you can stay with me. I'll name you...Kanika, because your fur is black." Kanika looked at her and yawned, exposing her growing fangs.

And so, she continued on with her newfound companion. There was a speck in the distance, and it seemed to be blue and green. As it got closer, she let out a gasping sound and began running to the aqua gem in the distance. An oasis, it meant salvation.

As she neared it, she threw off her shoes and waded in, not caring about the ache in her side. She frolicked happily, and urged Kanika to come swim with her. She was having the time of her seven yearlong life, despite her pains. She washed out her wound and the fabric she tied around it, and then set out a blanket that had served as a shawl and lay down. She felt the flickering warmth of the fire she created as she ate a bird Kanika had caught. Kanika curled at her side where her wound had been and provided warmth. She looked like a black fuzzball to say the least.

The sun god, Ra, was beginning his journey through the night. It was sunset, with reds and violets mixing in the horizon. It was beautiful, and let the girl relax. She stroked her jackal friend, her rough fur felt soothing on her soft hand. Her eyes were closing, and she let out a soft, relaxed sigh… But then, something surprised her.

She shot up, eyes wide open as she saw a lone, small figure in the distance coming toward the oasis quite slowly. It was humanoid, and looked like a young boy. He seemed to be injured. Despite having Kanika, it wasn't the same as having a human to speak with. So she stood up. But she had conflict in her heart. This person was hobbling slowly; the chances of him being injured were quite high. And despite her own wound, she was not moving so slowly. If there were another battle, she would win. And if she let the person exhaust himself out, she could take their supplies if they had any.

She recoiled. She was no thief, and she was tired of being alone. She began to walk at a slow, monotone pace. As she neared him, he collapsed in to the sand with a loud 'thump'. The brown haired girl gasped and began sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her. She ignored the throb on the side of her abdomen. She didn't care anymore about her own welfare anymore. She didn't matter at this moment, this boy did.

The girl knelt down and her knee sank into the sand. "Are you alright?" She asked with concern. The boy had white hair, and cuts and bruises everywhere. And an extremely deep one through his eye worried her. But she knew she should have left him, pale hair met a demon was nestled. The conflicting teachings: 'Pale hair or eyes means a demon is at play.' 'Never turn your back on someone in need.' She chose the latter. "Are you still alive?"

The boy let out a low groan. It was barely audible, but she could hear it. She let out an excited sound, and rolled him over as not to let sand get in his wounds. He cracked his eyes open and they were pale mauve. She dared not to think of all the warnings her mother had told her: 'Demons prefer pale colors, so they stand out.' He let out another groan and closed his eyes. He had passed out right in front of her.

"Oh, Ra…" She murmured. "How am I supposed to drag you back…?" She scratched her head in confusion and frowned. After pondering this for a few seconds, she grabbed the boy and tried to carry him on her back. It worked for a little while, but she was still injured and not as strong as she could have been. So, she apologized through mumbles and dragged him by his wrist to the oasis.

She made it, and thankfully she had dragged him with his back downward, so sand would not accumulate in the cuts on his face. He was in horrible condition, and was definitely more injured than she was. Kanika had barked in alarm when she dragged the pale-haired boy. Then the jackal went to lick his wounds and the girl was forced to yell at her friend. She looked around quickly, as though looking for supplies. Unfortunately, all she had was blanket, and the plants and water of the oasis.

She hadn't learned about healing herbs yet. She had no alcohol, either. She only had the oasis' water.

She snapped out of her rushing thoughts to a little murmur and soft panting. She looked down to the boy and saw that he was now sweating and having a nightmare. He cried softly, saying the names of people she didn't know. She stroked his hair in an effort to console him, even though she knew he couldn't hear her through his dream.

"You're alright." She said once after he let out a loud cry. She stood up, knowing that she had to clean his wounds. That was the priority at that moment. She soaked a piece of her shawl that she had ripped off in the water of the oasis. She had boiled it already, so it was safe. She focused on the cut below his eye, simply because it was the one that worried her most.

"Ra, what did you do to yourself?" She asked. Suddenly, his hand gripped her wrist. She yelled out when her weight was used against her and she tumbled to the ground. The boy she had saved had her pinned down. She tried to struggle free, but she couldn't without losing her wrist. The boy's grip was that tight.

"Who are you?" He asked rather visciously. Kanika growled and barked, but he paid no heed.

Unfortunately, this girl was as fiery hearted as any boy. She growled and kicked upwards, and ignored the loud groan that came after. She used her leg, and flipped the boy over so now she had him pinned down.

"You should be thanking me," She stated loudly. "I was cleaning your wounds! How rude of you to- Whoa!" The girl was flipped over again.

"What's your name?" He asked, not caring that she was turning red with anger.

"Get off me!" She screeched before pushing him off with her feet and making him land on his rump.

"Ow! If you're trying to help me, then why are you hurting me!" He yelled, lavender eyes showing every bit of rage as well as fear.

"Because you hurt me first!"

His face dropped the look of anger, and instead he sighed exhaustedly. "I'm sorry. What's your name?"

The girl smiled, knowing she had won an argument. She crossed her arms over her chest and crossed her legs. "My name is Likra. Yours?" She scratched Kanika's neck when she began to growl.

He crossed his legs as well, with some difficulty due to all the bruises he had. "My name is Bakura." Bakura paused. "You're hurt too, aren't you?"

"Oh, how kind of you to notice." Likra replied sarcastically. However, her hand still reached over to feel her side where the wound was and flinched.

"Yet you still managed to drag me over here. How old are you?" Bakura asked.

"I'm seven now."

"Me too. How did you end up here?" The lavender-eyed boy asked.

Likra shrugged, and looked down sadly. "I was disowned and then got into a fight and ran into the desert. It doesn't matter much now. And what about you? You ended up much worse than I did."

He recoiled slightly at her question, and tears welled up in his eyes. "I-I… I was in my village, the village of Kul Elna, and all the sudden… the pharaoh's men burst in and began hurting everyone… They grabbed my mom and just took her away… I could hear her screaming loudly, and my father told me to hide… and they were just killing everyone… and then they found me and beat me till the flesh on my back was raw and gave me the cut on my eye. My dad saved me but… I don't think he saved himself…" All the sudden, Bakura's breath hitched and his hands dug into the fabric of his beige tunic.

Likra tilted her head. "Bakura?"

Tears had begun running down Bakura's face and he began sniffling. "I turned and peeked from behind a wall, and saw where all the screams where coming from… They had my mom, she was covered in blood, and her clothes were torn and-and-and they tossed her into a cauldron filled with gold! And-And- She screamed and screamed but they wouldn't let her out and one man pulled out a sword and-and-I-I turned away when she screamed louder than ever!" Bakura flung his head up quickly and his eyes were wide with tears falling from them. "I just ran! They threw things at me and I could hear more screams and-and I just ran!" He had broken freely into sobs.

Likra sat there, her mouth a circular 'o'. She had never seen a boy cry before, and never expected that she ever would. Then again, she never expected that she would ever be disowned either. She yelped and her cobalt blue eyes widened when Bakura threw his arms around her and sobbed on her shoulder. She was too stunned to do anything for a moment, but the returned the hug and stroked the back of his head.

"It's alright. Now stop crying, you're a boy for Ra's sake. You aren't supposed to cry in front of a girl."

Bakura stopped crying after a while.

Likra had some unanswered questions, however, and decided that it was the best time to ask. "Isn't Kul Elna the village of thieves?"

He glared at her and responded roughly. "Don't speak of things that you don't know. We only stole when we had to."

"Oh." She replied. "I'm sorry."

The Sun, Ra, began his journey into the night to vanquish Apophis, and had created a lovely sunset that day. Likra called it a good omen, to which Bakura simply shrugged.

Kanika rested in Likra's lap as the caramel-haired girl stroked her dark colored and rough feeling fur.

Bakura pointed at the jackal. "Is that our food?"

Likra stared at him in horror and clutched Kanika tighter. "Kanika is my friend, not food."

"Oh."

The girl sighed and looked at the desert, her gaze drifting to the distance. "I wonder how much longer we'll survive on our own…"

Bakura stood up. "If we work together we can probably live."

Likra smiled and extended mher hand. "Promise?" She asked hopefully.

"Promise." He responded. And with that handshake, they promised to stick together and never let the other one die. They bound it in child-like faith, and both thought it would last till they saved themselves from their nightmare. Both thought it would last. So they thought.

**AN: YAY! First chapter! :D I hope you're proud of me, Rya! This chapter is dedicated to you and Rose! Hope this inspired you, and I hope you review! Onto the next chapter, which will be more humor based. Toodles~ (Also, I can't seem to find Crystal. Maybe she'll show up when I type the author's note in the next chapter. Hopefully.)**


	2. Chapter 2: Don't Touch Me!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I sure wish I did though… Wah. But I own Crystal (A.K.A Likra) and her jackal Kanika. :D**

**AN: …Onwards, so you can laugh at my poor humor.**

Chapter Two: Don't Touch Me!

"Stop moving, Bakura!" Likra screeched angrily.

"This is degrading." He replied, propping his head up against his hand.

Likra huffed. "Shut up, I'm trying to help you." She grabbed a cloth that she had wet in the water she boiled. "Don't move, this may sting a bit."

"Fine, I can take it- OW! That hurts!" Bakura yelled when she applied the cloth to his back. The sapphire-eyed girl bullied her new companion into taking off the top part of his tunic so she could wash out his wounds. It was her fault they had sand in them since she dragged him in the desert sand to the oasis, so she felt it was her duty to clean them out.

At first he was hesitant and uncomfortable with taking the top part of his tunic off in front of a girl he barely knew, but she told him that if he didn't they would get infected and then it would be even worse. So he agreed through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, but it has to be done." Likra said knowingly to him. "Hold still." She wiped a long, red gash he had running through his mid-back, and watched as Bakura winced.

"I hate you right now."

She chuckled at his insult. "Hate you too." She continued on getting sand off his back, and listened to his pathetic insults.

"Is insulting me really making the pain go away?" Likra asked while going through a small gash that had a lot of sand in it.

Bakura winced a bit, and then let out a soft groan. "I guess. It's keeping me from focusing on the pain you're causing me, idiot."

"Can't you come up with new ones?" Likra asked, feeling rather bored with his current choices of insults.

There was a slight pause between the two of them, before the white-haired boy replied. "No."

"Good," She replied while dragging the cloth through a deep cut. "That way we're both on the same level of insults as each other. I don't like being outdone."

Bakura had screamed when she went through that deep cut. "Idiot woman, that hurts!"

Likra said with a small little giggle. "Take it like a man. You're almost done, you baby." She insulted him with a chuckle.

"I still hate you."

She ran her towel through his back again and listened to him whimper. "Hm-Hm, I'm sure you do."

After Likra's dirty work was done, her hands were red with dried liquid. Bakura hadn't bled too much, but sand was a demon when it was in wounds. She hadn't been pleased with all the dried blood on her hands, she had always been germaphobic, but she was glad to know that it wasn't hers this time. Kanika had slept through of all of Bakura's insults, whimpers, and screams. She was actually still asleep and twitching.

Likra was washing her hands when Bakura came up and sat next to her.

"You said you had a wound too, right? Because I think I deserve payback."

Likra's mouth opened in shock, and she shot up, and screamed. "Don't touch me!"

"But it's only fair!" Bakura chased after her when she began to sprint around the oasis.

"I said, don't touch me!"

"I'm gonna get you! And I'll get my payback!"

Likra let out a loud squeal when Bakura almost grabbed her by her hair. "I told you not to touch me!"

Soon Kanika woke up and joined the fray, scampering and barking beside Likra. But when Bakura tugged on Likra's soft, honey brown hair, Kanika stopped in her tracks, turned around and snarled before jumping straight at Bakura's leg with her sharp canine teeth very visible.

"I really do hate you."

"I warned you not to touch me."

"Apparently you gained favor with Anubis."

"Maybe he'll protect us in this desert. Or maybe just me."

"Maybe you should train that mutt not to bite your companion."

Likra's heart leapt into her throat. _Did-Did he just call himself my companion? _Likra had already started viewing him as her friend, but wasn't sure if he thought the same. She gave a small smile while she cleaned the two puncture marks in his leg.

"Why are you smiling, idiot?"

"No reason. Just a small thought."

"You actually think?"

She dug the cloth into his leg with that insult, and he yelped.

"Sorry. I still hate that dog, though."

"Jackal."

"Who cares?"

"Anubis does. Now shut up before I let it get infected."

There was a slight pause, and then both of the children laughed. Their echoes didn't make it across the desert, but it didn't matter, because they only had each other and Likra's jackal. But if they could laugh together, they could survive together.

And that's what they planned to do.

**AN: Awww~! Cute seven-year-old Crystal and Bakura insulting each other! So little has changed in the past 3,000 years! This may be one of the rare happy chapters in the story, because… well… We all know how Bakura ended up. It's also incredibly short compared to my other works, simply because this story doesn't have to be long. It's cute anyways. But I'm pleased with this chapter, simply because I found it adorable. If you guys have cute ideas, post them up in a review or PM me. But I have my own ideas too, so your ideas may not fit in. My apologies. And Rya, I hope this helps your writer's block on Ruins Tide! Review on your way out everyone! Toodles~! 3 *****gets pushed out of the way by Crystal***

**Crystal: Hey readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was fun for me to remember that. It was so… peaceful… But next time: When push comes to shove, Bakura and I are forced to leave the oasis! Will we be able to survive in the Pharaoh's city as I did when I was young? Or will we perish as our former lives had? *dramatic pause* Anyways, I'm sure Luna told you that you can send in ideas for little anecdotes between the important parts of my story. Just remember, don't flood us with happy ones! I mean, yes, we were happy at some points, but not all the time! And don't drown us with emo stuff either. Anyways, just review! Sayonara, everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3: Leaving Paradise

**Disclaimer: Why? Why do I have to disclaim something I never even claimed? How stuuuuuupid. -_- I no own Yu-Gi-Oh, I own the characters I made. Done. There. Onto the story.**

**AN: …Just read the story, por favor…**

Chapter Three: Leaving Paradise

They sat back-to-back, with Likra's shawl wrapped around them. They were both shivering. The heat of the day was unbearable, and the cold of the night was disheartening. Kanika lied in between the two of them, hoping to wedge herself between a warm spot.

"B-Bakura?" Likra asked, teeth chattering.

"W-What?"

"W-We won't b-be able to s-stay here f-forever w-will we?" Likra questioned sadly. There was no food at the oasis, just water and plants. And they knew better than to touch plants they didn't know a thing about. Likra also refused to eat Kanika, as Bakura had suggested.

"N-No. I-I don't t-think so…"

"W-W-We s-should leave t-tomorrow th-then. I-I t-think I remember w-which direction the P-Pharaoh's City is…"

Bakura snorted. "W-Why would w-we g-go there?" He tugged the shawl around him, and Likra scowled.

She tugged the shawl back to an equal length again. "Th-There's no f-f-food here. W-We m-may as well try our l-luck at b-begging." Likra began to shake and tremble violently. She pulled her legs up to her chest in an effort to keep her warmth from escaping. Her hair was a curse during the day, but it was a blessing at night. It kept her shoulders and most of her back warm.

"A-Are you o-okay?" The white-haired boy asked with concern.

She shifted her weight slightly. "Y-Yeah."

The next morning, Likra had taken her shawl back and wrapped it around her shoulders. Bakura had nothing, so he didn't need to waste time preparing. They drank the last of the boiled water. Likra had in fact, gotten a small pot, so this was where they put the water. Bakura offered to carry it, but Likra said that she could carry it on her own.

After several hours that seemed like eternity and a day, they made it back to the Pharaoh's city. Likra had gotten lucky that time around. She was never good with directions, and always seemed to get lost.

The marketplace was as busy as the day she left, had nothing had changed. She could actually see the place where she had once lived. Likra could march in there and demand that she wanted to be family again. _But that would be selfish,_ Likra thought quickly, trying to erase the thought that had flashed through her mind. _I have Bakura and Kanika now. I have a new family._

"Likra, are you even listening?"

She snapped out of her thoughts quickly. "Um, sorry, Bakura. What were you saying?" She said apologetically. Her dark blue eyes drifted to Bakura's hands, which were clenched into fists and his knuckles were turning white. He was definitely not pleased with being here.

"I said, 'What should we do now?' Should we beg? Or what?" Likra was about to reply when a figure's shadow towered over them.

"Spare a piece of gold?" The old man asked before making a hiccup. His voice was deep and emotionless. It was like his soul had died and there was nothing capable of feelings left behind. He held a small woven basket that held several small gold coins. Those gold coins were barely worth anything. Likra's nose crinkled when she actually smelled the homeless man. He smelled of alcohol, and not the disinfectant kind. The man's gray beard was absolutely filthy, and Likra was forced to hide her disgust. The man's eyes were black and dull.

The petite girl fell backwards when she was caught unaware. She had forgotten of all the people who loved to surprise her in the streets. Likra managed to catch her balance before she fell. "U-Um, no sir."

She, Bakura, and Kanika scampered off as quickly as possible. They didn't need to be begged from. They had nothing but each other anyways.

There was a lot of gold jewelry in the marketplace, all of which Likra took a liking to. The girl had never had any jewelry, despite the fact she adored it so much. She loved gold. She loved jewelry. And she also loved shiny things. It was obvious to see why she stopped at almost every stand with jewelry, not even asking to try it on.

As they walked through the loud and bustling trade area, Bakura spoke first. "If you want, I could steal some of that gold. Maybe we could sell it, and get actual gold coins."

Likra was appalled. "Bakura, I told you that stealing is wrong."

"Stealing is not wrong when you have to survive."

"Bakura, you are a fool." The girl frowned and turned away. Kanika trotted next to her, keeping up her pace.

"Why couldn't you be like your jackal? She never talks."

They continued walking, often times being begged from. At one point they saw a man screaming that Set was going to destroy the world and that Ammit would eat their souls. There were some people who looked deranged, and others who were cripples. The marketplace was very diverse place, with many different emotions. They saw children happy with their mothers, and families eating on the sides of the streets.

Likra's stomach growled loudly, and she could tell that Bakura and Kanika had bother heard it since they were both staring at her. "I'm hungry." She stated.

"So am I, but we only have one coin."

"One coin? Where did we get that?"

Bakura smirked. "I got it from that homeless man. He was so drunk that he didn't even notice."

Likra stopped moving immediately and put her hands on her hips. "Bakura! That is shameful!" She kept walking only after a man told her to move before shoving her forward quite roughly.

The lavender-eyed boy shrugged. "It's not considered bad if you have to do it."

The pair had begged at multiple places, but they were always kicked out when the saw Bakura's white, short, and ruffled hair and light violet eyes. They thought he was a demon, and there was nothing Likra could do about it. So, they made no money and were hungry.

Soon night fell, and the two (plus one jackal) were still wandering the streets. There was a group gathering, and soon the swarm of people swept them into it too. Likra had the uncomfortable feeling that she knew what was going on. When someone screamed and a sword was unsheathed, her eyes widened.

It was a riot.

Screams and shouts began echoing through the streets and the sound of metal being pulled out created chaos. Likra had grabbed Bakura's wrist and tried to drag him out, but there were too many people. Likra picked up Kanika before the dark-toned canine was swept out into the crowd. Someone fell in a lifeless heap in front of her. There was a screeching high tone that almost mixed in with the chaos. Almost. She wondered whom it came from. Then she realized: It was coming from her own mouth.

Bakura knelt down, and picked up a golden, jewel-encrusted dagger from the corpse. It had blood on the tip, but he didn't care. The pale haired boy didn't seem to realize what danger they were in.

"You fool! We have to get out of here! Don't you know how dangerous riots can be!" Likra screamed, but her words were carried of into the mayhem. The she realized that Bakura had been raised in a small village. He didn't know what a riot was.

He didn't realize how many ways you could die during one.

She bumped into someone and got obscenities screamed at her. She didn't care, she simply pushed past the man. Her heart was racing. How could she have been so stupid? How could she not have realized the distinctive way a riot formed? She could hear shrieks, she thought that some of them were hers, but she didn't know for sure.

Bakura, on the other hand, simply put on a confused face. He had no clue what was going on, or why people were yelling and killing each other this time. Likra would have laughed at his stupidity and lack of knowledge of something so common, but she didn't due to the situation they were in.

Bakura seemed to say something, but she couldn't hear the words. Kanika was struggling in her arm, she held Bakura's wrist in the other hand, and had no limbs left to push through the crowd.

Then a blue dragon flew up above the crowd. It was the magic she had heard so much about. It was magic that could summon a beast that was tied to your soul. The beast was called a Ka.

It was magic the Pharaoh's men used.

Again, Bakura was clueless. He thought it was pretty cool, but Likra's lapis lazuli colored orbs widened in fear. She knew what was going to happen.

"Run!" She screeched, this time her words finally reaching Bakura, even though he was right behind her. She pushed herself past a man and woman in the crowd just before the heat of an open flame hit them on their backs. They were blown forward by the shock wave, and landed face first in the dirt, but were getting closer to the edge of the crowd. But they staggered upwards, and continued on.

Likra hadn't realized she was crying. She didn't hear the screams of people being burned behind her. She didn't feel the heat around her. She didn't focus on the jackal barking and struggling in her arms. The girl didn't realize her grip tightening on the boy's arm behind her. No, she didn't notice anything around her.

All she could think and concentrate on was getting out of there _alive_.

More blast followed. More dragons came. More soldiers yelled commands to their Kas. More screeches made the night anything but peaceful. They ran past the last protester, and collapsed into a nearby alleyway both out of breath with several new bruises and cuts. The pain on the side of Likra's abdomen didn't just throb, it actually stung and felt as though it had been made fresh again_. _Bakura's back hadn't fared any better, because the heat actually left small burns. Kanika survived without a scratch. Lucky her.

Then Likra smelled smoke. How could she smell smoke? She smelled smoke when she had been in the crowd, yes, but she shouldn't have smelled it in the back of an alleyway. The girl gasped when she realized where the burned smell was coming from.

Her hair had been singed at the tips. Bakura's hair had been singed also, as well as his back. This signaled just how close they were to the flames. How close they were to a one-way ticket to Osiris' throne room. How close they were to Anubis weighing their hearts. How close they were to Ammit waiting upon the judgment, waiting to see if he'd devour their souls.

It showed how they barely evaded _death_.

When the children realized this, they clung to each other and cried and cried till they fell asleep leaning against each other.

**AN: Wow. That came out longer **_**and **_**better than I expected. Yay! :D Anyways, Crystal's back with a preview for the next chapter! Review, peeps! Toodles~! *gets pushed off screen by Crystal again***

**Crystal: I remember that. It was really scary. Anyways, as we journey farther into the city of the Pharaoh, we get ourselves into a big scuffle. Will we make it out alive? Or will the bandits I met once finally get their chance at revenge? Gods, would it kill you to make another happy chapter? Without any fighting? *In background: No, because it didn't happen that way.* Grr. Anyways, review, send an idea, and stay tuned! Sayonara, everyone~!**


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